Las Vegas, the Gambler's Ruin, and Index Funds

Earlier this month, I went to Vegas for my buddy's bachelor party. I had a great time, even if that city was a lot more appealing to 20-something me than it is to 30-something me. Still, I love gambling. It combines two of my favorite things: games, and stakes. Things matter when you have skin in the game.

Don't believe me? Try playing poker without money sometime.

I came home with more money than I left with, somehow. And the bachelor was the big winner: I has a seat next to him Saturday night (well, Sunday morning) as he went on a fantastic run at a blackjack table. As we stumbled home, he was up over five hundred bucks.

A Peek at the Future

I had surgery on Friday. As a sign that I'm getting older, I somehow gave myself a hernia picking up my backpack on the first day of our last trip to Europe.

Mrs. Done by Forty and our friends were kind enough to carry my pack for me the rest of the trip. And my doctor said it wasn't serious. As long as I didn't lift heavy stuff, I could postpone the surgery until January in order to pick different insurance during open enrollment. 

Waiting saved us over a thousand dollars, but came with the cost of not being able to play kickball in the fall.

PF Chat: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

You're in for a treat today, dear readers. Instead of being subjected to my "thoughts" and "expertise" all on their own, they will thankfully be hidden among those of some actually intelligent and accomplished experts in the personal finance community.

We have Jamila from Journey to Launch, Piggy from Bitches Get Riches, as well as Kara from Bravely and Tanja from Our Next Life. The latter pair also are the creators of The Fairer Cents podcast. 

This week the PF Chat focused on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and, friends, we did not pull any punches. As always, there is some NSFW language. Enjoy.

A Few Simple Changes

I cannot resist the siren call of the New Year's resolution. Sure, this system of goal setting has literally never worked for me. And yeah, I am now in my thirty seventh year, so why should things change this late in the game?

But motivation is a rare thing, and I should at least try to capture it the one time a year it predictably shows its head like Punxsutawney Phil.

My goal is to bring our annual spending back to $40,000 again. That translates to a very attractive looking $3,333 a month. We used to come in under that figure, no problem... back after we'd paid off our mortgage. So, yeah, apples and elephants now that we have a big honking mortgage again, I know.

Still, when I look at a single month, it sure does seem possible. Plus, I have a secret weapon, as shown in the picture.

Fresh Start & Rockstar Finance

Somehow, 2017 is nearly at an end. And despite how busy we always seem to get in the Done by Forty household each December, I really do treasure this time of year.

It's a time when we're reminded of the joy of spending time with the people we love and who love us back, the simple pleasure of a glass of eggnog and warm wool socks, and the importance of giving to others.

J Money and the good people over at Rockstar Finance were kind enough to grant us $100 from their Community Fund, so we could do a little good in our hood here in Arizona. 

I immediately thought of the organization our good friend Mandy works for: Fresh Start Women's Foundation. Mandy was cool enough to answer some questions for us. 

If you're interested in awesome charities devoted to empowering women, give the interview a read, and please consider donating if you're able.  

Football, Choking Puppies, and Perspective

As a football fan who grew up in Western Pennsylvania, I spent most of last week thinking about the Steelers game against the Patriots. Whoever won the game would likely be the AFC's #1 seed, and the road to the Super Bowl would then go through their home stadium. The stakes were high.

History hasn't been kind to the Steelers in this match up: the Patriots have won 10 of the last 13 games, including some truly lopsided AFC Championship Games. Tom Brady & Belichick just have the Steelers' number.

Budget Porn: November 2017

Another month in the books, another budget blown. 2017 is proving to be the spendiest on record, and we just keep leaning in to it. I don't know what's up, but frugality has not been the theme this year.

Can I blame the political environment? Maybe Trump made me do it.

Or maybe this budget post is just fake news. I don't like what my spreadsheet is showing me. Maybe I can just call the numbers "alternative facts" and be done with it.

These false figures can't be trusted. Our real budget is fine. Better than fine: terrific, just terrific. Spending is right where we want it to be.

PF Chat: Diversity in Personal Finance

Hi there, blog peeps. Today we have something special to share on the site: the advice of entertaining writers who actually know what they're talking about.

In the first installment of an ongoing series, that is shamelessly stolen from FiveThirtyEight, we're bringing you some of the best voices in the personal finance world to discuss a topic in our field. This week, we're hosting the dynamic duo at Millennial Revolution, Bryce and Kristy, as well as Kitty from Bitches Get Riches, to chat about diversity in personal finance. 

Yeah, we're diving in with both feet here. 

Fair warning: the chat is chock full of NSFW language. Enjoy!

Charity, State Tax Credits, and Uncle Sam

Everyone have a good Thanksgiving? Us, too.

I always forget how simple it is to make myself happy. All I need is to spend time with the people I love. That's it. Throw in some board games, a plate of good food, and a hoppy beer, and it just feels like cheating. How can I not be happy with all of that, and all those smiling, hugging people around me?

But the reality of work beckons again, at least for a little while. And the possibility of an early retirement seems pretty sweet on Mondays like this, coming back from a too-short vacation.